CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVDN) — U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced funding from the U.S. Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Transportation (DOT), as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to support public safety, environmental rehabilitation, and first responder training projects in West Virginia.
EPA FUNDING: Senator Capito, Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, secured funding from EPA through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) that will be used to support cleanup efforts for a Brownfields site in Beckley, W.Va. At the end of September, Ranking Member Capito’s bipartisan bill, the Brownfields Reauthorization Act of 2023, unanimously passed out of the EPW Committee and awaits a full vote on the Senate floor.
“The Brownfields program continues to create success stories in communities across West Virginia,” Ranking Member Capito said. “The funding announced today from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will boost cleanup and redevelopment efforts at the former Beckley landfill, and will have a significant impact on future economic growth in Raleigh County, including benefits that come with a safer, healthier environment.”
DOJ FUNDING: Senator Capito also secured grants from DOJ for a program that helps address the costs of retaining state and federal prosecutors and public defenders in West Virginia and a program that will help upgrade data reporting tools to make sure crime statistics, particularly hate crimes, are accurately recorded and reported.
“I am proud to deliver resources that help fund programs to ensure the citizens of West Virginia receive due process of the law. Whether it is prosecutors going after criminals or public defenders dedicated to making sure everyone gets a fair day in court, the resources from the DOJ will help keep West Virginians safe and their legal rights protected,” Senator Capito said. “I am also happy to see that West Virginia is getting the tools that the state needs to accurately and efficiently report crimes so that law enforcement officers can respond with comprehensive strategies to counter them and keep communities safe.”
DOT FUNDING: Finally, Senator Capito, a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, also announced funding from the DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration (PHMA) to support first responder training in the event of an emergency hazardous materials (HAZMAT) transportation incident.
“West Virginia’s brave first responders are heroes that confront danger when it arises. In doing so, they need the tools and training that help them effectively diffuse an emergency situation and I am proud to deliver resources that will help do just that,” Senator Capito said.
Individual EPA award details listed below:
- $500,000 in IIJA funding from the EPA to the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority (Beckley, W.Va.) to support the redevelopment of the former Beckley landfill site for recreational economic development.
Individual DOJ award details listed below:
- $3,120,400 in DOJ funding to Full Circle Training Solutions, LLC (Morgantown, W.Va.) to support improved data reporting for crime statistics, specifically hate crimes, in West Virginia.
- $76,792 in DOJ funding to GO33 Justice and Community Services (Charleston, W.Va.) to support grants that assist West Virginia with the funding necessary to retain state and federal prosecutors and public defenders.
Individual DOT award details listed below:
- $193,418 from the DOT PHMA to the West Virginia Emergency Management Division (Charleston, W.Va.) to support training for first responders in the event of a hazardous materials (HAZMAT) transportation incident.
